| Deadly fire leaves much of Gatlinburg, Tenn. in smithereens |
| A historic wildfire burning Tuesday in Gatlinburg, Tenn., left three people dead and hundreds of destroyed homes and businesses. The fire gained traction Monday night because of howling winds, with gusts of 50 to 60 mph, but overnight rain also helped slow the devastating blaze . Nearly 14,000 residents were evacuated from the town near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And employees at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies were forced to leave more than 10,000 animals. Although the center of town was spared, one official described it as "apocalypse on both sides" of downtown. On the bright side, Ober Gatlinburg, an amusement park and ski resort, as well as Phi Beta Phi elementary school were initially reported as destroyed but were not actually burned. Dollywood was also spared, but its namesake Dolly Parton says she is "heartbroken," nonetheless. |
| Cinderella story turns into a 'tragedy of huge proportions' |
| The story of Chapecoense, a Brazilian soccer team that climbed from obscurity to become one of the nation's best, was the type of feel-good, rags-to-riches tale that makes the best Hollywood sports flicks. But, the story took an unexpected, tragic turn when the charter plane carrying the team to play in one of South America's most prestigious tournaments crashed into a Colombian hillside. Seventy-one of the 77 people on board died. Three members of the team were among the survivors, along with one of the more than 20 journalists aboard and two crew members. In Brazil, where soccer is a passion, President Michel Temer declared three days of national mourning. "No one understands how a story that was so amazing could suffer such a devastating reversal," said one resident of the team's hometown of Chapeco. |
| More angry tweets and Cabinet nominees |
| It was another turbulent day in Trump Tower with fresh Cabinet appointments and another tempest of truculent tweets from the president-elect. Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is nominating Georgia Rep. Tom Price — a fierce opponent of Obamacare — to be his secretary of Health and Human Services. And he nominated former Labor secretary Elaine Chao to head the Transportation Department. Also expected to be named as his choice for Treasury secretary: Steven Mnuchin, a hedge fund manager and former Goldman Sachs executive. Trump also found time to tweet, sending one to celebrate his official win in Michigan, another attacking CNN and one indicating he believes people who burn the flag should be stripped of citizenship. One thing we've learned since Trump's victory, his tweets will fly no matter whose feathers they ruffle — including top adviser Newt Gingrich . Tuesday night he meets with potential secretary of State nominees Bob Corker and Mitt Romney. |
| Man shoots down rumors wife's kidnapping was hoax |
| No sooner had a missing California mom reappeared than rumors began swirling that her story was a hoax. On Thanksgiving morning, Sherri Papini flagged down a car and was later reunited with her husband after she disappeared while jogging three weeks ago. Keith Papini told "Good Morning America," his wife was "covered in bruises" and chain markings when he saw her in the hospital. "She was thrown from a vehicle with a chain around her waist, attached to her wrists and a bag over her head," he said. His message was simple: Don't believe the lies. Officials say they have "no reason to disbelieve" her story, but conspiracy theories continue to run wild on social media. |
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| Famous or not: No ID, no White House entry |
| Pro tip: If you're invited to the White House to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom award, bring ID. Even if you are famous and recognizable, you still need ID. (Looking at you, Ellen). The host of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" almost missed out on her big day at the White House last week because she forgot to bring her ID to the award ceremony. On her show Tuesday, she explained, "I'm getting the Medal of Freedom! I didn't think I needed (ID)." Secret Service begged to differ. She was forced to wait outside while co-recipients like Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jordan passed her. Ouch. She eventually got into the White House, but only after she tweeted about her slip up. After the ceremony, DeGeneres and the other recipients put on an epic mannequin challenge. |
| Extra bites |
| Pentagon finds no misconduct in mistaken airstrike on Syrian forces |
| The Islamic State calls the OSU knife attacker one of its 'soldiers' |
| 20 Tennessee co-workers to split $420M Powerball jackpot |
| Guess who's replacing Trump on the "Celebrity Apprentice" |
| This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY |
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